Category: Sports

Enhance your appetite!

Tomorrow (November 24th) marks the 24th annual Appetite Enhancement Ride, a uniquely local Sacramento event founded and spearheaded by Two Rivers Cider Company. Every year, hundreds of folks hop on their bikes, party it up, and raise thousands of dollars for local charities, including the Sac Bike Kitchen, WEAVE, Sol Collective, Mustard Seed School, and natural disaster relief. Join them for a healthy ride, great food and libations from almost a dozen breweries.

The fun begins at the California Auto Museum at 9AM and lasts all day. Even if you don’t feel like riding, come out and give a little thanks to the many local businesses who support this event. Admission is free, so bring some cash for when they pass the hat!

Info at their Facebook page.

What is biggest risk in Arena deal?

This week will see Mayor Johnson’s financing plan for the downtown arena, which Johnson calls “the city’s greatest economic opportunity since the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.”

At least in the Bee report, the Maloofs seem cautiously optimistic and willing to play ball, though they do want to see a solid plan:

Maloof said he is holding the city to the March 1 deadline. “They’ve got to deliver. Everything has to be in place, ironclad. No risk. No ifs.”

No risks? Sure, sure, sounds like a plan. For example you wouldn’t want to take on a risk that your major tenant can’t make rent payments, right?

Maloof has said the Kings only want to be tenants, not operators, of the new arena, and warned the team doesn’t have much money for rent payments.

Not sure how Maloof expects the City to handle the risk of Maloof not being able to make rent.

I would personally hate to lose an NBA franchise–and though I have been critical of the Maloofs in the past, I guess it is pretty standard to be completely beholden to the team even when their commitment is in question. It is just business, after all.

Watching your bobber suddenly jiggle


No word whether noodling will be allowed at this event

From sacbee.com, fishing will be free across the state on September 3rd, 2011, and in Sacramento, novice anglers can take advantage of free lessons and equipment use on the same day.

Fishing in the City gives city dwellers an opportunity to learn how to fish, and to fish close to home. Ponds are stocked with trout in winter and catfish the rest of the year.

I did enjoy the Free Fishing Days page…

Have you ever felt the excitement of watching your bobber suddenly jiggle, then dive out of sight? Or feeling the tap-tap-tap of a bass as it tastes the worm on the end of your line? Or having a salmon practically tear the rod out of your hands as it smashes your lure? What’s that? You say you never learned to fish?

They said “rod.”

Isotopes vs. River Cats

Hungry, Hungry Homer

If you’re like me and have been meaning to catch a River Cats game this season, now’s the time to do it! Next Thursday, August 18 they take on the Albuquerque Isotopes, which promises to be a great night for several reasons:

1) The Isotopes are also the baseball team on the beloved animated sitcom, The Simpsons. You can make Simpsons jokes with your buddies all night while watching the game. Built in fun!

2) A volunteer from United Way California Capital Region will throw out the opening pitch, and folks from their Fit Kids project will lead the audience in the Seventh Inning Stretch–with prizes! Who doesn’t love a little community nonprofit support with their baseball? Both are truly all-American!

3) BBQ! United Way is hosting a saucy fundraiser of the most American kind during the game. They didn’t tell me if it’s brown sugar or honey-based, but I do know it will be slathered on meat. Albeit, they were not able to obtain Duff Beer. In consolation, there will also be live music.

4) It’s baseball! And the River Cats! Now quick procrastinating, and get yourself to a game before the season ends.  Continue reading “Isotopes vs. River Cats”

Fair-weather River Cats fans miss a thriller

River Cats win, River Cats win!
River Cats win, River Cats win!
I made it out to Raley Field yesterday afternoon to watch the River Cats take on the Fresno Grizzlies. It was Dinger Bobblehead Giveaway day and we were lucky enough to be one of the first 2,500 fans. Plus, kids were allowed to run the bases after the game so all signs pointed to a great day for baseball. It didn’t hurt that Brandon Belt was playing for the Grizzlies.

After seven close innings, the Grizzlies were up 3-2. The weather was great and the River Cats were poised for a comeback. Then the top of the eighth came and the Grizzlies hung four runs on the Cats making the score 7-2. At this point many fans headed for the aisles. So much so it was like being at a Laker game. Then, in the bottom of the eigth, the Cats scored a run, then another, and another, and another, finally tying the game after a Fresno fielding error. The game was tied 7-7 going into the ninth inning. The Cats kept the Grizzlies off the board in the top of the ninth.

We were all set for extra innings when Jai Miller hit the first pitch out for a walk-off home run. Pretty exciting stuff. Sure, more times than not, your team will not come back after being down big late, but you have to hang in there because you never know what is going to happen.

Bike Park Opens This Weekend

Che at Sacvibe recently interviewed Terry Cox on his efforts to create Sacramento’s first bike ramp park. Despite tough economic times, we get a new (albeit temporary) addition to McClatchy Park thanks to the resourcefulness and hard work of a few locals. Check out the full story in the video and come to the grand opening this Saturday at Noon!

Woz Cup Challenge comes to Folsom


Upright handlebars ergonomically designed to maximize loss of dignity

The Folsom Telegraph brings us news that Prairie City Stadium at Folsom High will host the sixth annual Segway Polo Woz Challenge Cup 2011. I’ve read this article 3 or 4 times now and I still can’t figure out if it’s an Onion story or what.

The Segway Polo Woz Challenge Cup is basically polo on Segways, rather than on horses. Five players make up a team; two forwards, two midfielders and a goalie. Players ride their Segways, which max-out at 12 ½ miles per hour, and swing padded mallets at the equivalent of a Nerf soccer ball toward a goal 8-feet wide and 5-feet tall.

Well, I’ll be. Twelve teams from around the world will compete for the Woz Cup, the perpetual trophy named after Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc.

In a short amount of time in a sport that few know about, Ross, fellow Rotarian and Folsom resident Bob Quinlan and a handful of others have put together quite an event with the city’s support. “We’re going to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city and Sutter Street businesses,” Ross said.

Like 100s of 1000s? Whoa. Well, good on you then. Learn more at wozcup2011.com.

How many of you immediately thought of GOB riding his Segway when you read this post?

River Cats History

I missed my chance to witness Sacramento history Saturday night, when the River Cats played the longest game in River Cats history - 16 innings to break a stalemate, well past midnight, to defeat Oklahoma City’s Redhawks.

After enjoying a good 9 innings, and sitting through an additional 5, my crew and I finally succumbed to dropping temperatures, high winds, and Dinger Dog stupor. And packed it up and went home.

Continue reading “River Cats History”

TWF live show @ Colonial Saturday


TWF TV Champion Rob Banks

The folks behind Total Wrestling Federation are basically living the dream. Begun in Tracy in 1998 as a tribute to 1980s WWF awesomeness, TWF is now a full-fledged federation, with colorful characters, themed TV programming and live shows. If you’re into this sort of thing, then you already know about it. The whole aggro wrestling aesthetic is not my cup of tea, but I simply love living in a world where a bunch of kids can dream up TWF and make it into a worldwide phenomenon.

Continue reading “TWF live show @ Colonial Saturday”